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With Ty Rattie back will Edmonton Oilers reunite their top line?

Author of the article:

David Staples • Edmonton Journal

Publishing date:

November 2, 2018 • 2 minute read

Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97), Ty Rattie (8) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) celebrate a goal against the Arizona Coyotes during second period preseason action in Edmonton on Thursday September 27, 2018.JASON FRANSON/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

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This in from Edmonton Oilers, news that Ty Rattie is back from injury and Cooper Marody is being sent down to Bakersfield: “The Oilers have activated forward Ty Rattie from Injured Reserve & assigned forward Cooper Marody to the Condors.”

My take

With Ty Rattie back will Edmonton Oilers reunite their top line?Back to video

Ty Rattie had just one goal and one assist in five games with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid on Edmonton’s top line before he went out with injury. Kailer Yamamoto failed to impress in his absence but that wasn’t the case against Chicago on Thursday when Drake Caggiula took the spot. Caggiula scored one goal at even strength and one shortie. His goal assisted by McD and RNH was a sharply cut diamond, with Caggiula picked up the puck, twisting with it and sniping a goal from close in. It might well be enough to have earned him a few more games with McD and RNH.

My own preference, however, would be to go back with Rattie on the top line. Rattie had excellent scoring chance numbers in his first five games and was unlucky not to have a few more points. He made a major contribution (usually a shot or a pass into or inside the inner slot) on 2.7 Grade A scoring chances at even strength per game This is just behind what McDavid has averaged this year, 2.9 per game (with Rattie obviously benefitting from playing with McD, but also meshing well with him). Rattie is a smart, skilled and highly motivated player right now, a strong bet to succeed on that top line.

I doubt that the Oilers will want to fool around with the newfound chemistry of the second line of Leon Draisaitl, Alex Chiasson and Tobias Rieder. Why mess with success? So the return of Rattie will create a log jam on the third line, with Caggiula battling with Yamamoto, Jesse Puljujarvi and Milan Lucic for playing time.

If you go by the scoring chances numbers — and I do go by those numbers — a good bet would be to have Puljujarvi and Yamamoto with Ryan Strome on the third line. That said, I like Milan Lucic on the third line and having bumped Lucic down to the third line, I don’t think it’s likely he’ll now be bumped down to the fourth.

But, for what it’s worth, that is what I would do, going with a fourth line of Khaira, Caggiula and Lucic. If you are dead set against having players on their off wings, you could go with a third line of Strome, Puljujarvi and Caggiula and a fourth line of Khaira, Lucic and Yamamoto, with Brodziak and Kassian sitting out. That would work too, but this being Todd McLellan’s team I doubt we’ll see Brodziak sit or Lucic demoted. Instead Puljujarvi and Yamamoto may well be destined for the AHL.

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